Brotherly Ambivalence
by Shi-Toyu
Summary: Thor doesn't understand why Tony is so freaked out by the God not shouting his approval for his teammate's relationship with Loki. His brother is quite capable of taking care of himself. When Thor confronts Tony about it, they get into a rather interesting conversation. Part 5 in my Emotions series. FrostIron.


A/N: Part 5 in my Emotions series. I hope you all like Thor! This is also a lead-in to my sequel series, A Family Affair. That one, though, will be posted as a chaptered fic…cause posting these all separately is just getting obnoxious.

Brotherly Ambivalence

Thor could tell it was bothering the Man of Iron, Anthony. He just wasn't sure _why_ it bothered him so much. Thor had expressed his approval and acceptance of Anthony's relationship with his adopted brother back when they had first come out as being together. Why was it so much of an issue that Thor did not continue to express his approval?

There were many Midgardian customs that still confused the God, but he felt he had a much better handle on them than before. He had discussed the phenomenon with Jane, just to be sure, but she had told him that it wasn't expected for the brother to give constant approval of a relationship. Apparently, on Midgard, familial approval wasn't even _required_ for a relationship.

So, the question remained, why was his teammate so focused on Thor's approval of his relationship with Loki?

For the life of him, Thor could not come up with a satisfying answer. He was not the type to let questions simmer, though, so he eventually found himself seeking out the Man of Iron. JARVIS, the robot which lived in Anthony's walls and reminded Thor of a Fae servant, informed him that Stark was down in his lab. Loki was away for an unknown amount of time, perhaps a week or so, in another realm and Thor felt it would be an excellent time to have their discussion.

"Son of Stark! I wish to speak to you about something which troubles me."

Tony was already setting aside his work, no doubt having been alerted by JARVIS that Thor was looking for him. He spun around in his chair and stood, snagging an empty coffee mug from his work station and crossing his lab to the little area he had set up for basics snacks and seating.

"Sure thing, big guy. Lemme just top this off and we can chat. You want one?"

"That would be much appreciated."

"Sure, sure, have a seat."

The genius busied himself with the coffee maker, pouring out two mugs before setting it up to brew more. Thor had never been in the lab without there being coffee ready to go in the pot. It seemed one of the only things Tony was very good at remembering. He handed one mug to Thor before flopping down on the couch.

"So, what did you want to talk about? That Starkphone still giving you trouble?"

"No, Man of Iron. I wish to speak with you one the matter of your relationship with my brother."

The other's relaxed demeanor instantly vanished.

"Oh, uh, yeah? What about it?"

Thor's brow furrowed as he frowned at his friend. Anthony seemed almost…scared. Why would he be scared? That, in turn, only seemed to make the brunette male more nervous.

"Look, Thor, I know he's your kid brother, but I swear I'm not gonna hurt him!"

Now Thor was even more confused.

"My brother was to be harmed?"

"No, no! God, no!" Tony looked downright panicked. "I'm just trying to say that I care about him and I'm not going to leave him or hurt him or anything!"

"Why would you feel the need to inform me of such things?"

Now Tony looked confused.

"Isn't…Isn't that why you're here? To threaten me with death and the wrath of a god should I hurt Loki's feelings in any way?"

"Why would I do that? Has Loki requested me as a champion on his behalf?"

"A champion? What?"

Thor considered his friend and teammate for a long moment.

"On Asgard, if one does not wish to or cannot fight, it is acceptable for them to choose a champion to fight on their behalf. The fight is generally to settle some form of disagreement. Have you and my brother disagreed on something?"

"No! There doesn't need to be any fighting!"

Tony raked a hand through his hair and Thor felt more confused than ever.

"I do not understand what is going on here…I simply came to ask why you seem so concerned about me approving your relationship with my brother, yet I find myself more at a loss now than when I set out."

Tony sighed heavily and let himself sink back into the couch cushions.

"You're just always so defensive of Loki, you know? I keep thinking that you're going to think I'm corrupting him and go all 'Hammer Time' on my ass."

"My brother is fully capable of taking care of himself, friend Stark. It is no business of mine whom he chooses to enter a relationship with."

Tony snorted.

"Really? You quizzed him for, like, four hours last week when he disappeared to take a walk."

Thor just shrugged, not seeing anything wrong with that.

"Friend Stark, you are, by far, not my brother's strangest bed companion. The fact that he has taken up with you is rather tame in comparison to some of his other…liaisons."

The billionaire looked like he wanted to be insulted.

"Trust me, Goldilocks, I'm _anything_ but tame."

"All I meant is that I am glad my brother has chosen a humanoid this time, and one that is actually living. After the incident with Svadilfari, I have learned to appreciate the times which my brother chooses a lover that allows him to stay in a form I can communicate with."

Dark brows knit together momentarily.

"That's Sleipnir's father, right?"

"Indeed. Sleipnir is the…least alarming of my nieces and nephews." Thor paused and sent Tony and indecipherable look. "You do know of my brother's children, correct?"

"Oh, yeah, big guy. I did some research and we talked about it a while back." He frowned. "Do you know where they are?"

Thor shook his head morosely.

"I am afraid I do not know their exact whereabouts, other than Sleipnir. I know their general locations, but I have not seen any but my brother's eldest son since they were banished from Asgard as a punishment for something Loki did to displease the Allfather."

"And Loki can't find them."

It was not a question, but a statement. Clearly, the brunette already knew about the curse Odin had cast.

"He is able to visit Hela, and could see Sleipnir when he was still on Asgard, but he has been unable to return since he came back to Midgard. Fenrir and Jormungand, though, he had not seen in several centuries."

Thor scowled down at his hands, upset by his brother's suffering. He still did not see the wisdom in his father's punishment. It seemed too cruel to separate one from their offspring, though Thor had not seen it at the time. He had just been glad to escape punishment himself…How blind he had been to his brother's pain back then.

He eyed Tony as the much younger man sat before him, dark brows knit together in thought. Tony was able to see many things in Loki that Thor had not been able to see for so long. He saw things that Thor still could not see, and he cared.

"Thor, I'd…I'd like to ask you a favor. There's something I need your help with."

"Of course, friend Stark."

Tony's face broke out into his trademark grin and Thor was struck, not for the first time, by the thought that Stark and his brother would have very handsome children together. He briefly wondered who would carry.

"I want to find Loki's kids…and I want to bring them to him."

A/N: I know, I know, it's short. The next one will be longer, hopefully. Next up is Bruce!


End file.
